The Spirit of Peace
There has been ongoing armed conflict in Cameroon since 2016. Politicians and warlords are inciting and instrumentalizing youth into acts of violence. Therefore, Emmanuel Lumumba is engaging idle youth in peace building activities his organisation Ndabuchiseh (Training Center for Peace builders).
by Emmanuel Lumumba
Mindset and a Path to Peace
If the construct of violence begins in the mind, the construct of peace must begin in the mind as well. Walking down the streets of Bamenda, Buea, Kumba, Muyaka, Kumbo, and Mamfe, all cities in Cameroon’s English-speaking region, we are confronted with violence, war, and death on our way. We often hear thunderous gunshots, and all of us have seen the lifeless bodies of teenagers, drugged, or killed, carelessly thrown on sidewalks or in rivers. But we hope to see a change in a couple of years. Then we will hear music and see street art everywhere with purpose-driven youth engaging in social activities, looking calm, confident, and conscious about their daily actions.
From Family Strife to Personal Awakening
As a teenager, I came dangerously close to dying due to an act of violence. It was one day when my mother lamented with tears running down her face: “Oh no! Where are the bananas I kept in the kitchen? These monsters have eaten all of them. Oh, it’s better to die than live in such a toxic family!” I rushed to comfort her. But she kept sobbing, and I could not bear seeing my mother in such tears. I carried a stick to beat up the “culprits,” my stepbrothers, the “banana thieves.”
And that day, the hunter became the hunted. In a Cameroonian peasant polygamous family, women often bear the primary responsibility for domestic upkeep, including child rearing, providing food, and other basic needs. In my case, my father had to administer four wives and 19 children in a single compound, which was not easy because there were often violent fights.
A Journey to Peace Advocacy
On that day, one stepbrother attacked me with a machete. I got a deep cut on one of my thighs and was taken to the hospital right away. Before I reached the hospital, I fell unconscious from losing a lot of blood. When I woke up in my hospital bed, I started taking an introspective look at myself and questioned the entire situation. What if I did not recover? If I had died in the cause of perpetrating violence, could my death not have been the death of a fool? What was I trying to achieve through violence? Doesn’t violence always beget violence? After this incident, I developed a dislike for violent conflicts.
When I got to university, I joined a peace and human rights club. I studied the philosophies of world-known peace activists, and I was inspired by quotes like “Wars are poor chisels for carving a peaceful tomorrow”, and “Eye for an eye will only turn the whole world blind.” Through this exposure, my mindset shifted, and I developed a passion for peacebuilding.
At the time, I was still a young person. I used my knowledge to reach out to all my siblings with a message of peace. My siblings reasoned with me and got weaned off the manipulations and incitement from our parents.
In 2008, I founded a youth-led organization, with one of its aims to inspire and empower many youths as agents of positive peace.
Echoes of Civil War: Daily Struggles and Acclimatization
And then the civil war hit the north and south-west regions of Cameroon in 2016. Deafening gunshots are now a daily occurrence. I have noticed that my children have become so used to this situation that they can easily tell if gunshots are from the military or the separatist fighters just by listening to the sounds.
Unveiling Horrors: Emmanuel’s Witness to Atrocities
I have witnessed gruesome killings and seen youths who have been maimed and raped. Regularly, I have been a victim of threats, taken hostage for ransom, and experienced several extortions and I have witnessed the closure and burning of many schools and economic centres, the destruction of road infrastructure, the burning down of villages, and horrendous abuses of human rights.
Mass Suffering and the Manipulation of Youth
The untold sufferings of the masses have resulted in many fleeing the conflict area to become refugees in neighboring countries or internally displaced persons. I have observed how politicians and warlords incite, radicalize, and even instrumentalize these youths into acts of violence. Moreover, the family being the basic unit of society, the violence youth experience in the polygamous family structure often serves as a triggering factor for their ease in perpetrating violence in the larger society.
Choosing Peace Amid Chaos: My Resolve
Politicians and warlords incite, radicalize, and even instrumentalize youths into acts of violence. Moreover, the family being the basic unit of society, the violence youth experience in the polygamous family structure often serves as a triggering factor for their ease in perpetrating violence in the larger society. Wishing to create peace, I decide to remain amid the armed conflict even though I have been offered several opportunities to leave. Through my organization, I am engaging these youth in peace-building, leveraging on my own long-standing passion and experience in peacebuilding since being young.
Nurturing Peaceful Futures: Relocating the Training Center for Conflict-Stricken Youths to Ndabuchiseh
With the desire to create peace, I had initially decided to stay in this armed conflict zone, despite being offered several opportunities to leave. However, I will now relocate the training center to a more peaceful part of Cameroon. After all, how can one learn to coexist peacefully when war is the norm? At Ndabuchiseh, the focus will be on establishing a center for young people who are at risk of being incited by war instigators. Over several months, these young individuals will undergo intensive training in nonviolent communication, conflict resolution, and general life skills. Additionally, they will receive vocational training of their choice. However, our emphasis is on professions that do not evoke violence.
Therefore, we are more inclined towards social occupations, where the concern for human beings, animals, and nature takes precedence.
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